Intel pushes on IoT, AR with Movidius buy

Intel is set to buy Movidius Technology, a firm that makes image sensing chips for the Internet of Things (IoT), to increase its efforts in augmented and virtual reality, as well as drones and robotics. Intel explained that as devices become smarter, System on a Chip (SoC) attributes will be essential to giving “human-like sight” to the 50 billion connected devices that are projected by 2020. With Movidius, Intel said it gains low-power, high-performance SoC platforms for accelerating computer vision applications. “Additionally, this acquisition brings algorithms tuned for deep learning, depth processing, navigation and mapping, and natural interactions, as well as broad expertise in embedded computer vision and machine intelligence,” said Josh Walden, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s New Technology Group. Movidius CEO Remi El-Ouazzane explained that…